Roscoe Hilton

The University of Adelaide, Australia
Exchange to Shandong University, Mainland China

Aboard a train en route to Xi’an I thought …what is learned of my experience in China?

Given a moment to reminisce, what came to light were my ever so deepened yet barely discovered understandings of this vast cornerstone of human civilization, as breathtaking vistas, each in awe of the next, passed by my window.

Although this is my second visit to China, upon arrival the many preconceptions once held about China as a state and its people were soon replaced with eye-opening insights and realities. The invaluable experience of studying here previously only brought me closer to the personal redefinition of what China truly is. Ever since my arrival, each day has been full of surprises and opportunities to match. On a predictable notion based on prior travel to China, my expectations were soon to be overshadowed by the amazing post-Olympic transformation marking a personal rediscovery of this country which is now developing fast to become ever so different. This was all a witness to the new China.

At times I found myself in a position of comparing China to the rest of the world, but I finally concluded that China is an integral part of our international community. Nowhere is this more evident than in the universities of China. In Shandong University situated in Ji’nan, capital of Shandong Province, the diverse campus life is truly cultural giving me not only an insight into China but also the rest of the world. It seems that the world has come together in China, a social life encompassing friends from a plethora of nations and tongues -I have seen China and I have experienced the world!

Contrary to many preconceptions, this country is overwhelmingly diverse, ethnically, linguistically and of course gastronomically. I cannot forget the major culinary traditional gastronomic tastes that provided distinct flavours for each region. The true China, regardless of rapid transformations, can only be defined once one has had the gracious opportunity of witnessing firsthand what it has to offer. So much history, more than 5,000 years as a matter of fact, makes China as I see it, the cornerstone of human civilization with countless historical sights to be visited. Yet sadly with limited available time to travel, I decided to reserve a mid-semester break to visit quite possibly one of China’s greatest archaeological unearthings, the “Bingmayong”, or known to the world otherwise as the Terracotta Warriors of Xi’an. The main focus for coming to China was in-depth, intensive study of Mandarin Chinese. Already a fairly proficient speaker, I was to further my study and fluency to new levels as I elected to participate in the “HSK” or the Chinese government’s Chinese language proficiency exam.

Only to add to the experience, were new post graduation employment opportunities offered to me as many Chinese English Teaching Colleges are more than eager to employ graduates of English speaking backgrounds as instructors. For the most part, studying in China has opened a world of opportunity and lifetime connections and friendships, all of which would have been impossible without the most gracious opportunity awarded to me by the Cheung Kong Scholarship Programme, and so for this, I am more than honoured to have taken part in this once-in-a-lifetime Australian-Asian study exchange.

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